‘Transcendence’ First Look: It’s Johnny Depp 2.0

'Transcendence,' the directorial debut of Wally Pfister, has been shrouded in mystery since production began with stars Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall and Morgan Freeman. But as we enter the new year, Warner Bros. has come to release a detailed story synopsis for this latest sci-fi film, accompanied by the first-look photos of Depp and his co-stars.

Pfister has been a longtime production partner of 'Inception' and 'The Dark Knight' trilogy director Christopher Nolan, who came on board to produce 'Transcendence,' as is apparent by the shots in the first photos, debuted on Entertainment Weekly. Where previously we knew that Depp was cast in the lead as scientist Will Caster, who "has his consciousness uploaded onto the internet," Warner Bros. has shed more light on the project with an in-depth walkthrough of the plot.

Dr. Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the foremost researcher in the field of Artificial Intelligence, working to create a sentient machine that combines the collective intelligence of everything ever known with the full range of human emotions. His highly controversial experiments have made him famous, but they have also made him the prime target of anti-technology extremists who will do whatever it takes to stop him. However, in their attempt to destroy Will, they inadvertently become the catalyst for him to succeed—to be a participant in his own transcendence. For his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) and best friend Max Waters (Paul Bettany), both fellow researchers, the question is not if they can…but if they should. Their worst fears are realized as Will’s thirst for knowledge evolves into a seemingly omnipresent quest for power, to what end is unknown. The only thing that is becoming terrifyingly clear is there may be no way to stop him.

"I don’t think we’ve seen him this way in a long time," Pfister told EW. "Just a pair of glasses on and a pretty normal haircut.” Depp, Hall and Freeman are joined by Cillian Murphy and Paul Bettany.

'Transcendence' hits theaters April 18, 2014, a few months before Nolan himself debuts his own upcoming sci-fi film, 'Interstellar,' in November.